Meet Rufus and Archie – Crookhey Hall’s newest staff members!

Crookhey Hall School is very pleased to announce their most recent and certainly most exciting staff appointments! The school team has been joined by Rufus ,the Labrador/poodle and Archie, the cocker spaniel who have joined the Crookhey team as therapy dogs to support the children in school and add to the full range of experiences that are already on offer.

Archie belongs to our Class 5 teacher, Miss Blore and has become a firm favourite with the pupils in ‘his class’. Archie roams freely in the classroom and has his own crate for when he needs a rest. Pupils are given the opportunity to walk Archie at break times and he is always available for a cuddle if anyone needs one!

Rufus belongs to Miss Lea and attends school several times a week – he is only a puppy and particularly loves running about in the woods and charging through muddy puddles!

Both dogs get along well and look forward to coming into school to have a good run around the grounds and to spend time with the children.

Having animals onsite has proven to be a successful feature of the school with the established birds and rabbits already in residence and the children really love to care for the animals on site. Spending some time with the animals helps to foster these nurturing skills and teaches our pupils about routine and responsibility towards others. The children have the opportunity to gain animal care based accreditations through their involvement with the animals in school and benefit from the therapeutic aspects of caring for a pet. The children particularly like to give treats to the two dogs – although we do have to be careful that they don’t receive too many!